Body parts found in a river were today confirmed as belonging to missing prostitute Suzanne Blamires.

West Yorkshire Police said the remains, which were discovered in the River Aire at Shipley on Tuesday, were those of the 36-year-old who disappeared from Bradford last week.

Detectives are continuing to question a 40-year-old man, named locally as Stephen Griffiths, on suspicion of murdering sex workers Ms Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth.

A police spokesman said this morning: "An examination of human remains recovered from the River Aire have confirmed a positive match to Suzanne Blamires.

"Inquiries into the incident remain ongoing and a 40-year-old man remains under arrest in custody.

"He is being questioned on suspicion of the murder of Suzanne Blamires, Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth."

Ms Blamires was last seen on Friday, while Ms Armitage, 31, has been missing since Monday April 26, and Ms Rushworth, 43, disappeared on June 22 last year.

Police have been granted until this evening to question Griffiths, who is believed to be a mature student at the University of Bradford who researched serial killers.

The 40-year-old operated on the social networking site MySpace under the pseudonym Ven Pariah and username Ven99 and styled himself as the "misanthrope who brought hate into heaven".

People living around Griffiths' home described him today as "weird" as the news sank in that he was being questioned as a suspected serial killer. The housing association block where he lives, which is just a few hundred yards from the city centre, was still sealed off by police who were guarding all entrances.

Yesterday, senior detectives and forensic officers could be seen working in the converted mill building and teams of police, including specially trained sniffer dogs, conducted detailed searches around Bradford's red-light district.

A woman who works in a local shop said Griffiths used to come in on a daily basis to buy papers and other items. She described him as "a bit weird".

"He wouldn't say much but used to say hello and buy a few things," she said. "I thought he was a bit weird." Others who knew him have called him an oddball, a "loner" who would dress in black "Goth" clothes.

Griffiths, who is reported to be a psychology graduate undertaking postgraduate research in criminology, was arrested by armed officers on Monday at his home on the edge of Bradford's red-light district.

A man who works close to Griffiths' flat said police arrived at the building brandishing guns.

He said: "He lives on the third floor. I've been told it's been completely sealed off now and everybody moved out.

"He was brought down and led away by the armed officers.

"They have been all over the place."

The man added that a woman's body was found behind the flats about six or seven years ago.

People working around the Thornton Road area said police had seized hours of CCTV footage and were now trawling through it.

The red light area, centred on Sunbridge Road, became notorious during the killings of the Yorkshire Ripper, which terrorised Bradford 30 years ago. Now questions are being asked about the fate of a number of other women who have disappeared in West Yorkshire in the last 20 years, although senior officers have stressed they are not linking any other cases to the investigation at this stage.